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Heat Issues
At the risk of getting into all kinds of trouble ...
It sounds to me like lots of you are wasting a lot of $$ on excess heat. I know many of you have longer, colder winters than we do. But even here in South Florida, we _do_ get some cold nights. As a business, we heat to 55F (lots of reasons, most of which wouldn't apply to a hobby grower).. But most of our hobby-grower customers don't worry about heating above 40F, nor did we in our backyard days. Now, it does pay to keep in mind that weather prediction is at best an inexact science -- I will never forget the night I went to bed after an 11 pm prediction of a 49F low, only to wake up and find it 37F on my partially-enclosed porch the next morning. No thermometer in the detached shadehouse, but undoubtedly some degrees colder. Everything was set back for a full year, a few things took 2 years to get back on track, and I totally lost 5-6 plants (out of about 500). So if you need to turn something on, or if your heating method is to bring your plants inside your home, you need to act if the low is predicted to be 55F -- that prediction could be off by 12 or more degrees. Certainly, there are a few plants which are inherently "extra-sensitive" to cold, along with those in spike/bud/bloom. But you don't have to heat your whole growing area to accommodate those few, if you have them. If bringing them inside with you is not a good option, then create one small "extra-warm" zone for those few, and then lower your general thermostat to something like 45F. And then next spring, come spend your utility savings with us G. -- Kenni Judd Juno Beach Orchids |
#2
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Heat Issues
If you havent lived in the northern US you wouldnt know how easily all 500
of your orchids could be turned to ice with only 5 or 6 living thru it. You live in south florida. I lived in Lakeland in central Florida for 3 years so I have a good idea of what your winters are like. I grew up in Indiana and have seen temperatures go from just above freezing to -20 while I slept. Combined with some 50 mph winds that will turn a poorly heated green house into a plant graveyard. Thats not all that common in central Indiana but farther north in Michigan it is normal winter weather. So I think the overkill may be more like insurance. And there might be a different survival rate for plants that were exposed overnite like yours and plants exposed to cold temps for weeks at a time Roger In Indy "Kenni Judd" wrote in message ... At the risk of getting into all kinds of trouble ... It sounds to me like lots of you are wasting a lot of $$ on excess heat. I know many of you have longer, colder winters than we do. But even here in South Florida, we _do_ get some cold nights. As a business, we heat to 55F (lots of reasons, most of which wouldn't apply to a hobby grower).. But most of our hobby-grower customers don't worry about heating above 40F, nor did we in our backyard days. Now, it does pay to keep in mind that weather prediction is at best an inexact science -- I will never forget the night I went to bed after an 11 pm prediction of a 49F low, only to wake up and find it 37F on my partially-enclosed porch the next morning. No thermometer in the detached shadehouse, but undoubtedly some degrees colder. Everything was set back for a full year, a few things took 2 years to get back on track, and I totally lost 5-6 plants (out of about 500). So if you need to turn something on, or if your heating method is to bring your plants inside your home, you need to act if the low is predicted to be 55F -- that prediction could be off by 12 or more degrees. Certainly, there are a few plants which are inherently "extra-sensitive" to cold, along with those in spike/bud/bloom. But you don't have to heat your whole growing area to accommodate those few, if you have them. If bringing them inside with you is not a good option, then create one small "extra-warm" zone for those few, and then lower your general thermostat to something like 45F. And then next spring, come spend your utility savings with us G. -- Kenni Judd Juno Beach Orchids |
#3
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Heat Issues
Kenni Judd wrote:
At the risk of getting into all kinds of trouble ... It sounds to me like lots of you are wasting a lot of $$ on excess heat. I know many of you have longer, colder winters than we do. But even here in South Florida, we _do_ get some cold nights. As a business, we heat to 55F (lots of reasons, most of which wouldn't apply to a hobby grower).. But most of our hobby-grower customers don't worry about heating above 40F, nor did we in our backyard days. You have some chilly nights, but does it usually warm up the next day? Plants may well tolerate temperatures in the 40s for a few hours, if they warm up into the 70s the next day. But what if they stay cold? On short, cloudy northeastern or midwestern winter days, there may not be enough solar heating to push the temperature much above the night-time low. With a minimum night time temp of 55-60 that may be enough to keep the plants ticking over, even if they aren't growing much. But, if the temperature drops to the 40s at night, the grower will probably have to run the heater during the day to get the temperature up (thus negating some of the savings). Sunny days are, of course, no problem, but I prefer to set the thermostat once, rather than running out to change it whenever the weather shifts. My most expensive month is December, which tends to be cloudy. By February, the days are usually sunny enough for significant solar heating, even though the nights are still cold. Other peoples mileage may vary, but I start to lose plants and/or have problems with bacterial rots if I set the thermostat much below 60. |
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